MTW opens a new field to share the gospel of grace in El Salvador

“What does it mean that Jesus is the Savior? The savior from what?”, a university student asked MTW missionary Jana Davila during Bible study.

Jana was taken aback. In her 40 years of missions work it was the first time someone had asked such a basic question. Even more shocking is that this young woman is from El Salvador—a country whose name literally translates to “The Savior” and that most global studies report as 70% evangelical Christian.

Yet she had never understood what Jesus saves us from.

The student’s question underscores the very reason Jana and her husband, Rodney, felt called to begin a new MTW church planting team in El Salvador’s capital city, San Salvador. As the country emerges from years of civil war, violence, and unrest, the people are eager to build their lives around a secure hope and future. Yet rather than preaching the good news of God’s grace through Jesus, the broader Church proclaims the false promises of the prosperity gospel.

MTW’s new team is stepping in with the true message of reconciliation to God through Jesus’ work and sacrifice on our behalf. They haven’t been there long, but God is already using them to lead Salvadorans to a life of freedom in Christ.

After a decade, God opens the door for MTW in El Salvador

In 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, veteran MTW missionaries Rodney and Jana Davila realized they had worked themselves out of a job. The Davilas had spent the last 10 years serving in Rodney’s home country, Costa Rica, where they helped plant a church and establish a leadership pipeline.

They began praying about where to go next. One of the options was opening a new field in El Salvador, a place MTW had been wanting to put a team for a while. Back in 2011, MTW’s regional director for Central America asked Rodney to visit San Salvador and explore the possibility of beginning a work there.

“It was quite … rough,” says Rodney.

Gangs controlled everything and the people’s fear was palpable. Local authorities were flushed with corruption and violence and crime were everyday realities. Rodney left committed to praying for the country, asking that God would bring healing to the brokenness he saw.

A decade later, the Davilas and MTW field leaders visited San Salvador, where they met with several pastors and missionaries. During each meeting, they asked each person if they thought it would be appropriate for MTW to come and join the work of spreading the gospel.

“Every single time they said, ‘Oh welcome, welcome! You can come. We need your emphasis on Reformed doctrine. We need your emphasis on grace,’” says Rodney.

The missionaries and pastors explained that under the current presidential administration, the people were experiencing a level of safety and security they hadn’t known in decades. It had made them open to the gospel.

“I thought, ‘Wow! The Lord has worked here,’” says Rodney.

The Lord used the visit to confirm His plans for the Davilas. They returned to the U.S. committed to starting a new team in El Salvador with a vision for planting gospel-centered, Reformed churches.

What it means to trust God while building a team

Their first order of business was recruiting team members. One of the people they contacted was their former summer intern in Costa Rica, Libby Scanio.

Libby was finishing her senior year of college when the Davilas invited her to join the team. She was exploring full-time ministry positions after graduation and cared just as much (if not more) about who she served with than where she served. Then Jana spoke the words Libby didn’t realize she needed to hear.

“We’re not just inviting you because we know you and know you are interested in missions,” Jana told Libby. “That’s not enough. We’ve prayed about it. We’ve asked the Lord who to invite and your name kept popping up. It’s the Lord who is putting this team together, not us. We’re just trying to carry out His will.”

Jana’s words highlight the Davilas’ approach to the recruitment process. They walked the tightrope of working hard to identify and follow up with candidates and then stepping back to watch the outcome God produced through their efforts. As they traveled to churches, communicated the vision, spoke with individuals, and hosted vision trips, they resisted the temptation to fill roles quickly. Instead, they walked alongside people to discern whether their gifts were the right fit and if the Lord had personally called them to El Salvador. At the same time, they didn’t pigeonhole themselves by fixating on their ideal candidate but kept their eyes and hearts open to who the Lord was providing.

Sometimes, as in Libby’s case, God worked through the natural progression of relationships already in place. Other times, He worked in unexpected ways—like with Charlie Alvarenga.

Charlie is a first-generation Salvadoran whose parents immigrated to the States during the Salvadoran civil war in the 1980s. He was born and raised in New York and first visited El Salvador as an adult in April of 2024. After that first visit, God began to give him a love for his country of ancestry. He planned to get his PCA church involved in the work, but after a few more visits, God confirmed Charlie’s personal call to serve as an MTW missionary in San Salvador.

Libby and Charlie are two of six MTW missionaries God has called to join the Davilas in El Salvador. In a matter of three years, God multiplied the team from Rodney and Jana to eight members and is already using them to form relationships, share the gospel, and impact lives in the city.

Salvadorans encounter God’s grace for the first time

Last fall, Jana started a Bible study with a group of university women she met by volunteering in the school’s English as a Second Language program. The group was going through the gospel of John and one of the students, Ariel, began wrestling with some of Jesus’ words. For example, when Jesus said that He would tear down the temple and raise it up again in three days, she assumed He was talking about the building.

As they continued the study and Jana worked through her questions, the message of John clicked. She realized that being a Christian meant trusting in Jesus and His redemptive work on the cross. A few months ago, Ariel accepted the gift of God’s free grace and put her faith in Christ.

“Here it’s very common to think that being a Christian is doing your part. It’s about wanting to please God, so it’s ‘I’m going to do what I’m supposed to do’ rather than the receiving and believing in Jesus,” says Jana.

According to the Davilas, Pentecostalism, which focuses on sensational spiritual experiences over knowing God through His Word, and the prosperity gospel, which promises temporal blessings to those who follow the church’s rules and give the church their money, dominate the evangelical church in El Salvador.

To a population that has suffered incredible violence, poverty, and instability, the prosperity gospel sounds like good news. It promises that a wealthy, comfortable life is within their reach if they behave and give away their money.

“It is a spiritual burden,” says Rodney. “There is a lot of trauma here because of the war, but also because of the gangs. And a lot of fear. People fear their future. People fear their spiritual wellbeing if they don’t do certain things that the church is saying. So they are fearful. They don’t feel free.”

The Davilas long to see Salvadoreans experience a life of freedom in the gospel. They are working to spread the true message of God’s grace through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, apart from what you’ve done or how much you give to a church. This is the good news that will release them of their spiritual burdens.

Since arriving in 2023, the team has focused on making connections and building relationships by showing up in everyday spaces like coffee shops, exercise classes, and ESL programs on university campuses. Last year, the team started inviting those whom they have met to a monthly gathering where they share a meal, enjoy a fun activity, and build trust and community. Occasionally, Rodney gives a Bible lesson.

One of the people who has consistently attended these events is a young man named Brian. Rodney noticed that week after week, Brian asked thoughtful questions about Christianity and invited him to grab coffee. During their meeting, Brian began asking more personal questions about his heart and God’s Word. He wanted to understand why the team was showing hospitality and interested in spending time with him.

Rodney opened Scripture with him and explained, “We are doing this because the Lord says the way that He manifests Himself is through His Spirit and His Word. And through His Spirit and His Word, He will move in our lives. “

“So He’s moving in mine?” asked Brian.

“Yes,” said Rodney. “And He will move more in you and you will start connecting more things. This is how He does His work.”

Since this conversation, Rodney and a colleague have continued to meet with Brian who is growing in his understanding of Scripture and the gospel. The team prays and trusts that the Lord will continue to water the seeds He has planted in Brian.

Stories like Ariel’s and Brian’s are a sampling of how God is already at work through the team in El Salvador. Through these conversations and the study of God’s Word, people are beginning to understand that God’s grace is a gift, one that He gives freely and lovingly.

God is at work in the early stages of church planting

MTW’s ministry in El Salvador is in its early stages. Some of the team members are still in the U.S. raising support and preparing to move to the field. Those who are on the ground are in the contact phase of church planting which, as Rodney says, is the hardest and the longest. They are also waiting for the government to approve them as an official religious entity so they can begin looking for a space to rent for worship services.

Yet God is using them—not only to make progress in their church planting goal, but to impact lives. Rodney and Jana, along with the rest of the team, are investing in people and taking every opportunity to share about Jesus. And through their effort God is revealing His grace to people like Ariel and Brian who have never truly encountered it. The Davilas and the team continue to follow God’s guidance, engaging in the work He has called them to, and trusting that He will use it to proclaim the true gospel across El Salvador.

Please visit the El Salvador team page to see how you can join in this work by praying, giving, or serving.